Boosting Financial Literacy and Equality: Binance and WTech Take Web3 Education For Women to the Earthquake Zone
Main Takeaways
The Binance Women in Technology Academy, organized in collaboration with the Women in Technology Association (WTech), extended its training programs to reach women in earthquake-affected areas of Turkey.
Held in the city of Hatay on March 26-27, the educational series welcomed 80 young women from the earthquake zone.
The Academy was designed to increase the presence of women in the fields of crypto, blockchain, and Web3, promoting gender equality in the industry and contributing to the growth of the high-tech sector of Turkey's economy.
With a mission to promote equal opportunities in the crypto sector and increase women's financial literacy, Binance has collaborated with Turkey’s Women in Technology Association (Wtech) to launch the Binance Women in Technology Academy. By bringing its educational programs to Hatay, the academy reached young female university students living in earthquake-affected areas.
Taking place in the Antakya district of Hatay on March 26-27, 2024, the program provided training sessions on financial literacy, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, NFTs, cybersecurity, and more to equip learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the Web3 world. At the end of the program, certificates were presented to the 80 participants. Binance also provided 270 Ramadan meal packages to the families that live in the container city where the courses took place.
Preparing Women to Lead
The Binance Women in Technology Academy, launched in January 2024, has recently completed its pilot 8-week program, graduating its first cohort of students. The collaboration between Binance and Wtech aims not only to introduce young women to the world of technology but also to provide them with opportunities to lead both in their careers and society. The initiative aims to increase the presence of women in the fields of crypto, blockchain, and Web3, addressing gender inequality in the industry. Following the success of its initial cohort of 50 students, the team decided to take the program to Hatay.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the end of the two-day intensive educational series in Hatay, Mücahit Dönmez, General Manager of Binance Turkey, emphasized Binance’s relief efforts in the wake of the February 6th earthquake: "Here at Binance Turkey, we have taken important steps to show our support for earthquake victims. Binance donated $100 worth of BNB to each of its users in the earthquake-affected areas of the country. Additionally, donations collected through Binance Charity were sent to the Turkish Red Crescent to support earthquake victims, and steel houses were built through our donation to AHBAP and opened for use as schools.”
Turkey is not only a country with a crypto adoption rate of around 40% but also one of the global leaders in terms of popular excitement for crypto and new technologies. Still, as Dönmez highlighted, despite the positive global trend in gender equality in the crypto sector in recent years, inequality persists. Binance is committed to promoting equality and diversity both within the company and across the entire ecosystem. Our mission goes beyond education, and we aim to empower our students to shape the future by giving them courage.
“More than an Educational Program”
Zehra Öney, Founding Chair of the Women in Technology Association, partner of the Binance Women in Technology Academy, also spoke at the ceremony, noting, "As the Women in Technology Association, our main goal has always been to train expert and competent individuals in the field of technology and to carry out focused efforts to increase the number of women in the workplace, production processes, and entrepreneurship. There was a very high interest in this program. With this program, we made a good start in training strong qualified women leaders who will fill the gap in Turkey and beyond.”
Finally, Harika Eldoğan, Marketing Director of Binance in Turkey, emphasized the project’s goal of providing education to 5,000 women in 5 years. She said, "We are working to expand the crypto ecosystem in Turkey. Especially for us, it is very important to include young people and women in this ecosystem. We support women in evaluating new opportunities in their journey towards financial freedom and supporting their development in these areas.” Eldoğan added that the Binance Women in Technology Academy is as much an educational program as it is an initiative to create a community. Through this program, women working in different fields can come together, connect, and share knowledge and experiences.
The program concluded with a graduation ceremony, during which over 80 students were awarded their completion certificates and gift tablets from Lenovo to support them throughout their educational and professional journeys. Also, the Binance team demonstrated support for Hatay’s local community by donating 270 Ramadan food packages to families residing in the area’s container city instead of hosting its annual iftar dinner in Istanbul. The container city, built by Needs Map, was constructed last year after the earthquake to house families who lost their homes, and it was also where the educational series took place.